Economic costs of health inequalities in the European Union
Economic costs of health inequalities in the European Union
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DOI：
10.1136/jech.2010.112680
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发表时间：
2011-05-01
影响因子：
6.3
通讯作者：
Kunst, Anton E.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Mackenbach, Johan P.;Meerding, Willem J.;Kunst, Anton E.
背景为了支持跨部门政策解决健康不平等的案例，作者探讨了欧洲联盟（EU）健康方面社会经济不平等的经济成本。由于健康方面的社会经济不平等造成的健康损失是通过应用一种反事实情景来计算的，在这种情景中，中等或以下教育水平的人（约占人口的50%）的健康水平将提高到至少受过高中教育的人的平均健康水平。然后，我们计算了这些健康损失的各种经济影响：医疗保健费用，社会保障计划的成本，国内生产总值（GDP）的损失，通过降低劳动生产率和福利的总损失的货币价值。这些损失占医疗保健总费用的20%，占社会保障福利总费用的15%。与健康相关的不平等损失降低了劳动生产率，每年使国内生产总值减少1.4%。健康不平等相关的福利损失的货币价值估计为（原文如此）980亿美元，每年或9.4%的GDP.Conclusion我们的研究结果表明，在欧洲健康的社会经济不平等的经济成本是巨大的。由于这是量化健康不平等的经济影响的第一次尝试，估计数被相当大的不确定性所包围，需要进一步研究来减少这种不确定性。如果我们的研究结果在进一步的研究中得到证实，健康不平等的经济影响需要在政策和干预措施方面进行重大投资，以减少它们。
Background In order to support the case for inter-sectoral policies to tackle health inequalities, the authors explored the economic costs of socioeconomic inequalities in health in the European Union (EU).Methods Using recent data on inequalities in self-assessed health and mortality covering most of the EU, health losses due to socioeconomic inequalities in health were calculated by applying a counterfactual scenario in which the health of those with lower secondary education or lower (roughly 50% of the population) would be improved to the average level of health of those with at least higher secondary education. We then calculated various economic effects of those health losses: healthcare costs, costs of social security schemes, losses to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through reduced labour productivity and the monetary value of total losses in welfare.Results Inequality related losses to health amount to more than 700 000 deaths per year and 33 million prevalent cases of ill health in the EU as a whole. These losses account for 20% of the total costs of healthcare and 15% of the total costs of social security benefits. Inequality related losses to health reduce labour productivity and take 1.4% off GDP each year. The monetary value of health inequality related welfare losses is estimated to be (sic)980 billion per year or 9.4% of GDP.Conclusion Our results suggest that the economic costs of socioeconomic inequalities in health in Europe are substantial. As this is a first attempt at quantifying the economic implications of health inequalities, the estimates are surrounded by considerable uncertainty and further research is needed to reduce this. If our results are confirmed in further studies, the economic implications of health inequalities warrant significant investments in policies and interventions to reduce them.